Director of Business Services

Director of Business Services

Deadline: June 8, 2026

District/Organization: Buchanan Community Schools

Position/Type: Central Office - 1st Line Admin, full time

Salary: $100,000 - $121,000

Position Details

At Buchanan Community Schools, we strive to prepare learners who emerge as respectful citizens and critical thinkers. To support this vision, we are seeking applications for the Director of Business Services. This role is vital in providing the administrative and fiscal leadership necessary to "Lead with Heart and Learn with Pride." The successful candidate will manage the district's business operations with transparency and precision, ensuring that our financial health directly aligns with our goal of empowering students to succeed each day.

General Duties and Responsibilities:

Fiscal Management

• Develops a systematic annual fiscal plan to make budget assumptions for both short-term and long-term capital and operational expenditures. Assists the Superintendent in all budget preparations.
• Develops a descriptive budget document that displays proposed expenditures in a way that is understandable and easy to read, consistent with community and state mandates.
• Optimizes and aligns expenditures with district-wide strategic goals to ensure maximum rate of improvement for student programs.
• Serves as a strategic advisor to the Board, providing data-driven insights for long-range planning. Functions as the fiscal liaison for the district.

Personnel Management

• May serve as lead district administrator in the absence of the Superintendent.
• Champions a culture of excellence by leading and mentoring the business office team.
• Assist with employee classifications, disciplinary procedures, termination procedures, and work analysis programs for classified personnel.
• Acts as a key member of the district's negotiation team, providing essential data and cost analysis to ensure sustainable and fair labor agreements.
• Develops comparative data and cost estimates for compensation negotiations between certified and classified staff.
• Interprets terms of negotiated contracts to staff.
• Prepares staffing cost estimates for collective bargaining for classified and certified staff

Strategic Financial Stewardship

• Directs the development of all accounting and reporting procedures, systems, and upgrades put in place to record budget appropriations, expenditures, and revenues in accordance with acceptable accounting and reporting procedures.
• Responsibility for monitoring all accounting functions against budget appropriations and reports to the Board on the status of budget appropriations.
• Actively supervises payroll processing, accounts payable processing, and relevant cost accounting systems and procedures.
• Monitors the systems for internal audit of periodic bookkeeping and accounting transactions, particularly student activities and other fiduciary funds.
• Remains current regarding state and federal legislations relating to: employee compensation, employee benefit programs, and grant programs.
• Presents timely budget status reports to the Superintendent and the Board on a regular schedule.
• Applies for and writes grant applications.
• Serves as a resource regarding the legality and feasibility of financial transactions and procedures.
• Innovates asset management protocols to ensure district resources are tracked and utilized effectively. Serves as strategic advisor and fiscal ambassador, orchestrating collaboration between architects, engineers, and stakeholders to deliver high-impact facility improvements.

School Facility Construction, Renovation, or Expansion

• Represents the Superintendent, as requested, and the Board on matters relating to the construction, renovation, or expansion of school buildings and other facilities.
• Meets with appropriate officials of the City and the Michigan Department of Education regarding the planning of school construction and the reporting of meeting schedules mandated by legislative and state department requirements.
• Synthesizes enrollment projections and long-range facilities projections, as directed by the Superintendent, to determine whether to expand or reduce the required building capacity.
• Meets with building committees, architects, and other appropriate officials or agencies and serves as the custodian of school building plans and specifications.

Other Related Duties

• Synthesizes complex financial data into actionable insights for the Superintendent and Board.
• Serves as Board resource person on all matters relating to school property, liability, and automobile insurance programs.
• Serves as the school resource person on employee benefit programs with particular emphasis on health insurance. In this connection, it is responsible for forecasting premiums, claims, and experience.
• Supports the planning, development, and implementation of Buchanan Community Schools' safety and security operations to ensure a safe environment for students, staff, and community members using BCS facilities.
• Serves as a liaison with legal counsel in matters of dispute, except for matters involving special education and certified personnel, except as directed by the Superintendent.
• Such other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned by the Superintendent.
• Maintain professional competency through ongoing education.
• Demonstrate strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Display effective leadership, team-building, and interpersonal abilities.
• Apply sound judgment in complex situations.
• Perform duties in accordance with district requirements and Board policies.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Maintains regular, reliable, and punctual attendance.
• The employee shall remain free of any alcohol or nonprescribed controlled substance abuse in the workplace throughout their employment in the District.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Business Office Personnel; additional supervisory responsibilities may be assigned by the Superintendent.

Qualification Requirements: To perform this job successfully, an individual must meet all essential requirements. Reasonable accommodations may be provided.

• Education and/or Experience

• Master's degree (Accounting, Business Administration, Finance, or related).

• Minimum five years of progressively responsible K-12 finance and/or operations leadership experience.

• Knowledge/Competency Areas:

• Demonstrated proficiency with school finance systems (e.g., Skyward), work-order/facilities platforms (e.g., Akita Box), Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Google Platform.

• Strong knowledge of Michigan school-finance law, GAAP, procurement, risk-management, facilities, safety, and pupil transportation regulations.

• Proven leadership in supervising mid-level and front-line managers and fostering cross-department collaboration.

• Experience in district-level strategic plan implementation and policy development.

• Prior involvement in bond planning, capital-improvement projects, and multi-site facilities management.

• Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

• CPA, MBA, or Michigan School Business Officials' CFO certification.

• Language Skills

• Ability to read and interpret professional, technical, and regulatory materials.

• Strong written communication: reports, procedures, and correspondence.

• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, with the community, staff, and the Board.

• Reasoning Ability

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.

• Ability to interpret technical instructions and adapt to abstract or complex scenarios.

• Other Skills and Abilities

• Able to travel between buildings.

• Ability to build positive relationships with all stakeholders.

• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Frequent sitting; occasional walking/standing
• Occasional county and state travel
• Clear vision for reading and computer use
• Ability to manage multiple demands and work under pressure

Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential function.

• Varies from quiet (office) to loud (school buildings)
• Must be adaptable to different settings

Position Details:

• Title: Director of Business Services
• Reports to: Superintendent of Schools, Patricia Robinson
• Starting date: Upon selection
• Calendar: 260 days
• Compensation: Salary commensurate with the credentials and experience of the candidate; tentative starting salary $100,000 - $121,000 (full-time, prorated for 2026-27 if hired mid-year; if no viable candidate, will continue to post)
• Posting date: May 18, 2026
• Application deadline: Until Filled, with first review on May 26, 2026

Application and supporting materials should be submitted using

Buchanan Community Schools' online employment link:

http://www.buchananschools.com/employment/

Questions about the position or the district can be sent to Mrs. Robinson: probinson@buchananschools.com

BUCHANAN BOARD OF EDUCATION

STATEMENT OF ASSURANCE OF COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL LAW

Buchanan Community Schools complies with all federal laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination and with all requirements and regulations of the U.S. Department of Education. It is the policy of the Board of Education that no person on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, gender/sex, height, weight, marital status, or disability shall be subjected to discrimination in any program, service, or activity for which it is responsible or for which it receives financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education. Compliance Officers for Affirmative Action and review of Federal requirements are as follows: Section 504 and ADA; Callie Campbell (Director of Special Education, 695-8442), Title IX and Title VI; Brian Pruett (Buchanan High School Principal, 695-8404) and Shelby Beasley (Buchanan Middle School Principal, 695-8406).

E-mail: probinson@buchananschools.com

Website: Link

Tweet